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Origin and history

Charbonnières Castle, also known as Château d'Aiguebelle, is a former 11th century castle, rebuilt in the 16th century, located in the commune of Aiguebelle in Savoie. It was the ancestral residence of the Counts of Maurienne and then Savoy, before their siege was transferred to Montmélian and then Chambéry in 1295. The fortress, built on a glacial lock, controlled access to the Maurian valley and the road to Italy by the Mount Cenis pass.

The name Charbonnières may come from the Latin carbonaria, evoking a place of coal production, although some historians suggest a military origin linked to palissades. The site, occupied from ancient times, is said to have housed a Roman oppidum, then wisigoth and buckwheat fortifications. In the 11th century, it became the centre of power of the Humbertians, ancestors of Savoy's house, with Counts such as Humbert, Amédée I, and Othon I residing there.

In the 13th century, the castle lost its role as a comtal residence but remained a strategic stronghold, led by chestnuts. He suffered many sieges during the Franco-Savoyard conflicts (XVIth–XVIIIth centuries), notably in 1600, where he resisted the troops of Henry IV before being destroyed. Ruined in the 18th century, its remains are now owned by the municipality of Aiguebelle, after having belonged for a time to the family of Tunisian President Bourguiba.

Architecturally, the castle was 80 metres above the valley, with a dungeon, a tank fed by the Arc, and a castral church dedicated to St. Lawrence. The current ruins show traces of ditches, a powder keg, and 17th century ramparts. Aiguebelle's châtellenie, centered on the castle, managed a territory extending to La Chambre, with toll charges and a complex feudal organization.

The Archives départementales de la Savoie maintains chestnut accounts dating from 1275 to 1562, reflecting its administrative and military importance. The castle, symbol of Comtal power, was also a monetary workshop under Othon I. Its definitive destruction in 1742, after a Spanish siege, marked the end of its strategic role in Maurienne.

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